


10-4

by Haggsy



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - Truckers, Angst, Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, Link is his babe, M/M, Rhett is low-key a macho, That’s the vibe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:26:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23141668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haggsy/pseuds/Haggsy
Summary: Rhett is a real trucker; he has been on the road since he was a teenager, and he loves it.The only thing he loves more is his boyfriend Link who has decided to share the lonely miles with him.This is a glimpse into their life among hairy men, greasy diners and big engines.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 30
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have another work in progress, but this idea wouldn’t let me go.
> 
> If you like homey Link and manly Rhett with strong macho dynamics, this should be something for you.
> 
> I should make it clear that this fic is one big stereotype, I have not the faintest idea how truckers really live and all my knowledge on this topic comes from American films and Wikipedia.
> 
> Enjoy?

It was a slow Thursday afternoon on the Interstate 15, with most of the commuters still at their work places and no holiday or weekend travellers to cramp the highway. The weather was lovely, with only a few fluffy white clouds floating in the blue sky.  
The truck stop next to the road was quiet, only a few drivers and their vehicles in the parking lot.

Around six o’clock though, the place started to fill with trucks and cars in all shapes and sizes. Their drivers climbed out and made bee-lines for the diner, the showers and the restrooms. It was a common sight for the staff at the stop; men, as varied in their appearance as their vehicles (though most of them really were like their trucks— big) and they all wore the same worn-out expression on their faces.   
There were few women to be seen, and even less female drivers. 

Only one truck offered a different sight: a battered old-fashioned semi-truck, painted in red and green, that pulled into the parking lot just when the sun began to fade. First of all, it were two men, not just one that hopped off the steps of the driver cabin. One of them, the one who got out one the driver’s side, was tall and lanky, his wild hair hidden under a well-worn cap. An equally long beard framed his face, and he didn’t even look too out-of-place.

The other one was shorter, his dark hair was carefully styled and he wore tight fitting clothes and large glasses. The whole outfit gave him a look that was the opposite of someone who’d just spent an entire day in an oil-stained truck. One might have seen such a guy browsing at a farmer’s market or walking around a jewellery boutique.

The other thing that was remarkable about those men was that they didn’t look grumpy or tired; weary, yes, but also definitely happy. As soon as they had rounded the front of the truck the taller man put his arm around the other one and kissed the top of his head. 

“You hungry, love?” the brunet asked, and his partner smiled and nodded.   
“Always, babe.”

————

  
Rhett and Link had been on the road together for almost four months now. Not all the time of course, they took breaks between tours and stayed at hotels or their apartment, but the most of the time they spent in the truck.

Rhett was a trucker, had been driving steel, wood and whatever needed to be moved across the country for a big construction company since he’d been twenty years old. Now, in his early thirties, he owned his own truck and was the boss of his one-man-business, allowing him to plan his routes and choose from different commissions.

Link had had all kinds of jobs in his twenties. When they’d met, he had been working at a hair salon and he’d ruined Rhett’s haircut so beautifully that the trucker couldn’t help but invite him to dinner.

Link had been apprehensive about dating a trucker at first; images of scruffy guys and smelly motels running through his mind. He’d soon realised that these stereotypes were not true, at least when it came to the blond giant he’d met and quickly fallen for. Sure, Rhett was a little rough around the edges; he wore terrible clothes and ate a bit more junk food than was really good for him, and when he spoke to other drivers via the CB radio, there was no stopping his swearing sometimes.

On the other hand he was the sweetest guy Link had ever met, attentive and caring, and if Rhett treated him in an almost patronising manner from time to time, he knew that it was all part of the act Rhett put on for his trucker persona. And it wasn’t like Rhett was dumb or uncultured; he liked literature and music, and tried to have a look at at least one museum or other sightseeing spot in every city he went to on his trips. But he didn’t need to brag about the things he knew.

They had been dating for almost a year when Rhett had asked Link to accompany him on the road. Both of them hated the weeks Rhett had to spend away, and he knew that he could support his boyfriend financially if they stayed together.

“Lots of truckers do it, baby. They take their wives with them when their children are out of the house and they all say it’s great to finally spend time together. You hate your job anyway.” he had said.

That was true, and Link had liked the idea of being able care for his partner when he was out on the road. He’d been constantly worried for Rhett’s safety, his health and happiness when he’d been away.  
Now that they were together, Link made sure that his trucker avoided the greasy diner food at the truck stops, that he slept enough and stayed hydrated when he was driving. Rhett had been looking after himself since he was almost still a boy, had spent years alone, and he loved the attention he got from the other man.

He had parted with his old reliable baby as soon as Link had agreed to accompany him and bought a bigger truck with a larger driver’s cabin instead. Bunking on a twin mattress behind the seats might have been good enough when he’d been alone on the road, but Rhett wanted to provide his darling with the most comfortable and clean home they could have in a truck.  
He had fitted the interior out himself; there were cabinets and a small table made of polished oak as well as a narrow double bed under a small window. It wasn’t much, but Link always kept every surface pristine and Rhett had even installed a tiny flower rack on the window for him, where a bunch of petunias lived now.

Link knew that his role in their arrangement could only be described as “the little wifey”, and at first he’d struggled and fought being a cliché. However to be honest he was too happy as Rhett’s companion to care much, and he had quickly learned to ignore the glances and snarky comments that came his way.

Even now as they walked towards the welcoming restaurant on the rest area, L felt the gaze of other drivers on them.   
Most of the other truckers were friendly folks, but they weren’t really used to the sight of a gay couple in their circles. Rhett and Link had learned to keep displays of affection to a minimum in public.

Inside, they looked for a free table and saw a very young, stocky man with dark hair under a bright white cap waving at them with a wide grin on his round face. “Hey, guys! Haven’t seen you for a while!”

“Hi, Chase!” Link waved with a toothy smile and hurried over to the boy, dragging Rhett along with him. Chase was one of the few truckers they’d made friends with over the last months. Before travelling with his boyfriend, Rhett had mostly kept to himself and limited his conversations to small talk about the traffic and quick radio exchanges.  
Link was more sociable, and he tried to chat with everyone they met. Only a few had really accepted their relationship though, and Chase was one of them.

“How are you doing?” he asked when the couple had sat down opposite him and ordered drinks. “Still so freaking sweet on each other I suppose?”

Rhett smiled lazily and put one of his big hands into Link’s soft hair. “Seems so.”

“You must be happy to have someone to share the lonely miles with” Chase looked at the both of them with a hint of envy in his boyish face. “Man, I could do with a bit of nooky myself.”

Link choked on his sip of coffee and began to splutter, his face growing red. R’s fingers quickly wandered from Link’s hair to his back and started rubbing soothing circles there. Chase shot the older man a questioning look that was answered with a mouthed word. “ _Prude_.”

“What the heck, Chase?” Link protested when he’d regained some control over his body. “Why’d you…?”

“Sorry doll, I didn’t mean to make ya uncomfortable, but it’s pretty clear that the two of ya are gettin’ it on all the time.”

It was true; Link and Rhett had been having sex nearly every day since they’d started going on the road together. Sometimes sweet and slow in their bed at night; sometimes quick and rough on the seats when Rhett had pulled off the highway and parked the truck in the middle of nowhere.   
Due to his job, there had been many dry spells at the beginning of their relationship, and they were definitely trying to make up for all the missed time now.   
Still, Link had been raised in a house where sex was an inappropriate topic, and seeing the truckers talk about it so openly embarrassed him.

“Ya know, ya could always just get a girl for yaself, bubba” Rhett told Chase with a raised eyebrow, his hand still resting on Link’s back.

“Mmh, you mean like you did, big man?” Link said. “‘Got yourself a girl’?” 

“You know what I mean, babe.” Rhett knew that Link was aware of the dynamics in their relationship, it was something they joked about from time to time. They got away with being together, but only as long as they made it clear that there was, in a way, a woman in their relationship. Truckers who weren’t as young and open-minded as Chase had a hard enough time accepting women on their tracks; a man who wasn’t a driver but the significant other of a trucker was such an alien concept to them that, in a weird coping mechanism, they just saw Link as a girl. His skinny jeans and the pendant he wore on his wrist (a rose gold ‘R’) didn’t really help either.

The waitress, a bored woman in her fifties who kept glaring at Rhett’s hand on Link’s back, came to take their orders.  
“Yes, I’d like to have the turkey burger with extra bacon, and bring me… What?” Rhett snapped at the sight of Link raising his eyebrows. “Let a man order his dinner.”

“You can order whatever you want, Rhett. But you know the conditions.”

Rhett pressed his lips together and looked at his boyfriend with as much disdain as he could muster before he sighed and turned back to the waitress. “I’ll have a salad, please” he ordered in a defeated tone. “But at least put some bread on the side!” he called after her.

“Good boy.” Link praised facetiously and stroked Rhett’s upper thigh, a promise of the reward he would get later. It felt vile, using sex to black-mail Rhett like this, but there seemed to be no other way to protect the other man’s health. It was especially hard when Rhett actually ignored his threats, because then Link had to make good on them and that meant that he didn’t get any sex either.

Luckily that had only happened one time, in the first week of their new life together. Rhett had obviously not believed that Link would go as far as actually denying him anything, and he’d almost thrown a tantrum when the other one had pushed him away that night.

Now that he knew that Link meant business, Rhett still fussed, but he always gave in.

Chase had watched their interaction with confusion from the other side of the table. Frowning, he asked “What conditions?”

“Are you this pure, buddy, or just stupid?” Rhett was annoyed that one of the other truckers was witnessing just how much his boyfriend had him under his thumb. It didn’t really do well for his image.

Chase looked utterly puzzled until Rhett made a vulgar gesture with his fist, mimicking a hand-job.  
“Oh…” The young man gazed at Link and then back at Rhett, blushing slightly. “I understand.”

“Then you might wanna reconsider that girlfriend-thing” the bearded man grumbled. “Nothing but trouble….”

Chase stared at Link, a shocked expression on his round face. “What’s with the health craze, Link? I mean, eating well is important and stuff, but to deny a man _sex_?!” He whispered the last word, obviously scandalised at the mere thought. “That’s plain cruel!”

Link took a deep breath and Rhett groaned, knowing what would come next. “According to the latest governmental statistics, 79% of long-distance drivers are extremely overweight due to lack of exercise, poor eating habits and —“

“Are you saying you won’t love me anymore when I’m fat?” Rhett cut him off and feigned a hurt expression.

“I’d love you even if you looked like Jabba the Hutt, but I won’t be able to love you anymore when you’ve died of diabetes or a heart attack.” Link quipped, but his voice sounded serious, the genuine concern showing behind his playful words.  
Rhett picked up on his boyfriend’s mood and simply nodded, pressing a small kiss to his cheek.   
Rhett wasn’t very good with talking sometimes, but his little gestures revealed a lot to Link. This kiss for example meant “ _thank you for looking out for me_ ”, and it was enough for both of them.

They ate and chatted, and to Rhett’s glee he ended up eating half of Link’s meal. After some more drinks they said goodbye to Chase and wandered back to their truck. It was dark outside, and the rows of vehicles in the parking lot were dimly lit by the lights in the driver cabins and the neon signs on the diner. It was, in a strange way, a pretty sight, and after several months on the road Link was beginning to associate the lights, the smell of diesel and the faint humming of big engines with a sense of home.  
It was still a very vague feeling, but he started to understand why his lover would never want to give this life up.  
He had asked Rhett once, when they hadn’t lived together yet, if he didn’t miss having a steady home.  
Rhett’s answer had been that his home was always there, it only had a different view every morning.

When they reached the truck, a practised routine started, with both of them undressing, washing and brushing their teeth in the small space between bed and car seats. Considering his height, Rhett managed getting out of his clothes surprisingly well. Their dirty clothes went into a separate drawer of the oak cabinets; Link would wash them at their next long stop. The self-built bed frame creaked when they settled down in it, and Link immediately turned his small body and curled into Rhett’s long arms. Rhett pressed his nose into the dark hair and inhaled deeply. He loved how clean Link smelled, how he always seemed to keep any dirt or sweat off of his skin. 

(He thought it might be witchcraft— in fact Link just sneaked off to shower at least twice a day and had a secret hoard of baby wipes hidden away in one of the drawers.)

Rhett was always faintly sweaty and reeked of motor oil no matter how often he washed or changed clothes. It had been embarrassing when Link had first mentioned it, because he had never noticed when his boyfriend had visited him back in his old apartment. However he’d truthfully assured Rhett that he found the smell actually pretty hot, so the trucker’s self-consciousness had faded to the point where he even threw his sweat-soaked undershirts at the other one’s face when he took them off at night.

Another thing Rhett loved about his babe was his soft hair and the clean shaved cheeks. R’s own hair was clean but unkempt, and his beard was rough and unruly. Link’s dark strands were always silky, smooth, and every hair was in the perfect place. He could spend hours dragging his fingers over these bangs, even more because he was aware that Link kept them pretty for him and no one else.

“You’re my sunshine, sweetheart” Rhett whispered into Link’s ear. “I’m so grateful that you put up with all this just so we can be together.”

Link hummed sleepily and pressed his hands even closer to Rhett’s chest.

“Love y’ too, big guy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CB radio: Truck drivers use the citizen’s band radio and have developed their own slang to communicate over it  
> 10-4: CB slang for ‘all right, understood, good’  
> Bubba: friend, buddy


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just rubbish now. My first attempt at MILD smut and I’m still blushing over it ;)
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos on the first chapter!

  
The next morning began early, as always. Even if Rhett could make his own routes as an independent driver, he still had to work regular hours to make it to his destinations on time.  
Link was up before Rhett and the trucker woke up to the smell of tea and eggs and the sight of his boyfriend kneeling at the end of the bed and stretching upwards to water the flowers at the window.

He grinned and whistled. “Mh, what a picture to wake up to.”

Link turned around and grinned back. “Whoa, looks like we have to cool you down a little, stud” he said before he tipped his small watering can over and splattered Rhett with the rest of the water in it.

Rhett giggled and tried to escape the droplets, and ended up pulling Link down to him and back on the bed.   
“You’re making me wet, sweetie!” Link squealed.

“Oh, that’s good to hear, babe” Rhett growled and nipped at his lips.

“No no no no, Mr Trucker, you have to get up and on the road, or we won’t be in Salty until Christmas” Link shoved him away and got up from the bed.

Rhett grunted and rolled off the mattress to sit at the tiny table in the corner of the truck. He shovelled the breakfast Link had made on the gas cooker into his mouth as quickly as possible before going out to the restrooms. It was a warm day, and he didn’t bother to put on more than the jeans he’d worn the day before. There were dozens of men running around shirtless there, most of whom were in way worse shape than him.

He met Chase outside who wiggled his eyebrows at Rhett’s state of undress and laughed good-naturedly. They really needed to have him over for a beer sometime soon, Rhett thought. He knew how lonely a young man could feel on his first tours.

When he got back to the truck he checked the oil and the lights before climbing into his driver’s seat. Sometimes, before Link, he’d felt dread coming over him at this point of the day when he’d thought about all the hours he’d be trapped in this seat until the evening.  
But now he just glanced over at his man and felt anticipation rising in his chest when he thought of all the hours he’d get to spend practically alone with him.

“Music morning?” Link asked and held up a CD.

“Sure, hun.” Link put the disc inside the player and soft pop music started to ring out from the speakers. “You might wanna put something on, or you’ll get a sun burn” he said and climbed into the back to get a fresh shirt for R. 

“Sure, hun” Rhett repeated, “whatever you say.” He put the tee on and started the engine. 

“Good to go?”

——

When they’d been on the road for a couple of hours, Link started to get fidgety. He tapped against the window, played with the buttons on the dashboard and sighed every few minutes. Normally he’d yak at the driving Rhett or read out a crime novel or poetry or whatever he thought might entertain the other man, but today Link didn’t do any of that. When he accidentally triggered the wipers and caused dirty screen wash to smear all over the front window, Rhett turned around to look at his boyfriend. “OK sugar, what’s up with you?”

“‘M bored.” Link’s voice was whiny and he looked up at R with his best puppy eyes.

“Then find somethin’ to distract yourself, would ya?” Rhett settled his eyes back on the road when he heard a sulky “yes” from the other man. Sometimes Link was truly childish, especially when he felt that Rhett didn’t give him the attention he deserved.

After a few moments of silence, Rhett felt a hand sneaking up his thigh. “Found something” Link muttered as he started to palm the other man through his worn jeans.

“Uh oh, no, mister” Rhett said, but he smiled. He removed Link’s eager fingers from his crotch. “Am drivin’, babe.”

Link pouted and stubbornly placed his hands back in his trucker’s lap. “You drive, I’ll take care of the rest, darling.” He resumed his rubbing and grinned when Rhett let out a breathy moan. It was so easy to win a man over.  
He unbuckled his seat belt and as soon as he felt that the other one was half hard, he leaned over and got Rhett’s cock out.

“No, hun, really we can’t…” Rhett tried to protest weakly, but stopped in mid-sentence when Link wrapped his lips around his erection and began to suck quickly.  
He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white, and did his best to keep his eyes open and on the road while pleasure tingled through his entire body.

“Mm, yeah, maybe it’s okay if ya just… fuck!” Link had started moving his mouth in earnest now, and Rhett struggled to focus on both controlling a huge vehicle and his own body, he groaned and hoped that none of the other drivers would look too closely through his side window. If the cops caught them like this he’d probably lose his license.

Rhett risked a glance down and gasped at the sight of his boyfriend’s head in his lap, lips already slightly swollen. He couldn’t help the stupid feeling of pride that came over him. He was sure that not a single one of his colleagues ever got sucked off right in the middle of the day on a busy highway. Not for free at least.

He was the luckiest guy between Mexico and the North Pole, and he knew it; even if he still didn’t understand why a man as beautiful and sweet as Link would agree to follow a grumpy hairy trucker like Rhett through the whole country.

“Love you, babe” he whispered and petted Link’s head with one hand. 

  
The other one hummed happily, and the vibration was enough to finish Rhett off. He came with a groan and a quick prayer to keep his truck steady on the lane while he shivered and panted.  
Link pulled off and wiped his mouth with a smug grin. He tucked Rhett back into his trousers and gave his knees a little pat.

“Jeez, Link, you can’t just do _that_ when we’re in the middle of traffic!” The trucker scolded once he had his voice back under control. 

“But sweetie, you said I should occupy myself!” Link said in the innocent voice he knew drove Rhett crazy. Link knew that they really shouldn’t do this while driving, and he wanted to avoid getting into actual trouble. “Didn’t you like it?”

“That’s not the point, kitty, and ya know it. It’s— ugh, why am I even arguing about this? You’re gonna do it again anyway, am I right.” He loved when Link acted naïve, especially because they both knew that the younger man was actually smarter than the trucker, if only the tiniest bit.  
It was a dangerous game to play, because it was easy to forget that Link wasn’t actually that helpless, but a fully grown six foot man. 

“If you don’t like it, I’ll just distract myself otherwise” Link finally conceded. He chuckled and unzipped his own trousers. “What? No, Link, that’s not- come on, man!” Rhett couldn’t believe his eyes when Link took out his own erection and started to stroke it vigourously. He groaned. It was so hot to see his boyfriend this bothered, but he couldn’t just watch him while he was manoeuvring 28 tons over the highway.

“Sorry sweetie but I’ve got the right to do this as the passenger, nothing illegal here, so why don’t you go back to driving and let me finish this?” Link was focusing on his stroking, hand moving fast over his cock. Rhett tried to ignore the things he saw out of the corner of his eye and not to listen to the slick sounds Link’s skin was making.

“Mhmmm.” 

The moaning was too much. Rhett went down on the brake and steered the truck over to the breakdown lane. He flicked on the radio and quickly barked “Regular stop, no 10-33” into the mic, shielding it with his hands in the hope to drown out Link’s increasing moans. He waited for confirmation from the drivers that were on the same part of the interstate as him and shut the radio down again.

He closed the curtains of his window and turned round to Link, who was putting on a pretty show for him, panting and writhing in his seat. “You gonna help me a bit here, sweetheart?” 

Rhett felt his jeans tightening again at the thought of getting his hands onto Link’s dick, but he shook his head. “You wanted me to drive while you’re doing this, now you take care of it yaself.”

“But, sweetie. Please! I promise I’ll be good afterwards.” Link arched his back and offered his crotch to Rhett.

The temptation was too big. “Ya promise ya won’t be doing any monkey business anymore?”

Link nodded frantically and Rhett hastened to wrap his fingers around his cock. “Uuuh, yes…”

“You like that?” The realisation that he was jerking off his boyfriend in broad daylight, only hidden by a tiny curtain, was making Rhett hot all over, and he moved his hand faster and faster until he felt Link spilling all over the both of them. Instinctively he lifted his fingers and licked them clean and Link practically growled at the sight. They were both flushed but grinning like fools.

“Thank you” Link said and pecked Rhett on the cheek. “Should do that again some time.”

“Sugar, I’m warning you.”

——

After that, they were silent for a while. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence; they were used to being on close quarters without talking to each other. Link was content to just watch the other man drive and listen to him humming along to some music.

  
He thought back to the day when he’d first met Rhett. He’d seemed uncomfortable, embarrassed to take off his faded cap and reveal the bush of hair underneath. “Umm… I haven’t come round to getting a haircut lately…” he’d said. Link had immediately felt that this gangly man was special, and he’d been right.

  
He’d had other partners before, prettier, more stylish ones. They had been nice, some even had had money and had taken him out for dinner in expensive restaurants. But all of them had been so picky, so aware of their own attractiveness that they hardly looked at anybody else. Rhett was so different to these city types. He was… just there, quiet, and never did he try to draw the attention to himself. Rhett was happy to just sit there and listen while Link babbled about everything and nothing.  
And he wanted to care for him. 

Link was a grown man, he could survive on his own if needs must— but he wanted to feel protected, treasured from time to time, and that was exactly what Rhett gave him.   
In return he let Link tend to every need he had, let him cook and clean and rub the sore spots out of his shoulders. Link enjoyed how Rhett looked at him with awe when he returned from the showers after a long day of driving to a self-made meal and a sweet kiss. He enjoyed giving Rhett his body when the other man wanted to wind down at night, and he took pleasure from knowing that all the other truckers (even the homophobic ones) were jealous of Rhett because they had to turn to porn mags and their own fists to get off.

On top of all this, he loved Rhett like crazy. It was almost bizarre how much his heart fluttered every time the other man used one of his silly pet names (and there were many of them), even after more than one year. It made him weak in the knees to see how proud Rhett looked whenever they arrived at a new truck stop or motel on their routes and walked over the area with his hand on Link’s waist. Like Rhett was a street rat who got to dance with the prince at a ball.

  
The thing he probably loved most though was to watch how strong, stoic trucker Rhett turned into shy teddy bear Rhett. It only happened late at night in the warmth of their own bed, and it never lasted very long; but Link treasured every single moment and kept them at the back of his brain to remind him that his tall boyfriend needed just as much support and protection as everyone else.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets a bit angsty at first, but afterwards there are tons on fluff to make up for it.
> 
> Thanks for comments and kudos, I really enjoy this community!

They managed to reach that day’s target at five in the afternoon after ten hours of driving. They had been looking forward to this stop, because this particular rest station was near the woods, and it had a big park-like area with trees and benches. The weather was sunny and warm, perfect for a barbecue.

Rhett parked the truck on the parking lot right to the meadow and while he was doing his usual after-drive stretching routine Link went through their cupboards and gathered the things they’d need for dinner. They had stopped at a store a couple of days earlier to get a disposable grill and some meat and sausages. Since they had scheduled the next day to be free and Rhett wouldn’t be driving, Link also took some beer out of the mini fridge.

Link was banned from handling sharp objects and open fire (“for reasons” as Rhett liked to point out) so he left the actual grilling to his boyfriend and sprawled out on his stomach on a blanket.   
There were a lot of other travellers around the park, especially families with children who were also grilling or playing softball, and ironically this allowed them to be more openly affectionate than they might’ve been if they had been in a truckers-only area.

Link had changed into denim shorts and a tank top, and Rhett let him know that he appreciated the view from where he was standing by their tiny grill, sunglasses on his nose and beer bottle in hand. Link grinned, rolled onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows.

“All yours, Mr Trucker” he said flirtatiously and spread his legs a bit. Rhett laughed and emptied his beer. “I thought we agreed that you cut the teasing for today?” he asked. 

Link shrugged. “It’s not teasing when you know I’d let you do anything.” Rhett choked on his last gulp of beer. “God, babe! There’re children around!”

Link laughed and stood up, walking over to Rhett. “Just messing with you. That meat ready yet?”

——

When they left the park the families were long gone, and it was already dark. Rhett carried their grill and rubbish in one hand and put the other one protectively around his boyfriend’s waist. Link rolled his eyes but snuggled closer to him.

“Do you wanna watch a movie tomorrow? I think there is a drive-in cinema in the next town.”

“That’d be nice” Rhett replied and pressed a kiss to the top of Link’s head. They were half-way to their truck when a man in his fifties came their way. Judging by his clothes and cap he was a trucker, and judging by his wobbly walk he’d had a few beers to many. Link hoped they could just pass the guy quickly but he’d already spotted them.

“Oh, g’d evenin’ gents” he slurred slightly. Rhett nodded curtly and tightened his grip on L’s waist. The stranger looked them up and down and smirked. “Look what the cat dragged in, a good buddy!” he snarled.

‘Good buddy’ was a trucker term that was used to reference gay truckers and in itself it wasn’t explicitly offensive, but something about the way this man said it made Rhett bristle and he took a small step towards the guy. “You have a problem, man?”

“No problem.” The man lifted his hands and jerked his head in the direction of the other parking lot. “Look, just take your little buffalo and leave, jerk.”

Link felt Rhett puffing up beside him, adding at least two inches to his already threatening height. Link had picked up some of the trucker slang over the last weeks, but he had never heard the term the man had used for him before.

“What‘d ya say, arsehole?”

“Rhett!” Link tried to pull his seething boyfriend back, but he just shook him off and took another step towards the stranger. The man was obviously not intimidated by Rhett’s stature, because he stared right back and said: “I said, _take that dirty buffalo of yours and-_ “

 _Crack_. The guy’s nose broke before he’d even realised that Rhett had moved. He screamed in pain and held his hands in front of his bloody face. Rhett grabbed him by the shirt and swung his fist back once more. 

“DON’T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THIS!” R shouted so loudly that his voice broke. “Don’t you ever _look_ at my partner again!”

“Rhett, no!” Link wanted to hold him back, but the blood on the man’s face made him feel dizzy and he had to sit down.

Rhett noticed and let go of the man to rush to his side. “Link, are you okay?” He tried to help him up but Link shook his hands off and hurried away.

“Link! Wait!” Rhett followed him, the stranger with the broken nose forgotten. If Rhett was right, a guy like that wouldn’t admit to being hit by a gay man anyway. Undoubtedly he’d dream up a story about three Russian goons for his friends.

Link was running towards their truck but changed his plans when he noticed Rhett following him. “Fuck off!” he shouted and walked towards a large tree at the side of the parking area.

Rhett was struck dead in his track. He understood that Link was mad at him for hurting that guy, but he’d never seen him that aggressive before. Rhett watched as his boyfriend reached the tree and punched his fist into the rough bark.  
The sharp cry of pain that followed made him run over to Link.“Link, you okay?” The younger man was holding onto his knuckles. “What did you do, show me…”

“No! I’m a man, okay!” Link suddenly burst out, slapping Rhett’s hand away. 

“Link, what the-”

“I am still a man! Do you get it? You can call me sugar and kitty and whatever else, you can patronise me and you can tell your trucker friends how good you gave it to me the other night, but that’s all because _I let you_! Because I _choose_ to give you that power! Do you think I’m a fuckin’ maid in distress? I was doing well for myself before you came, I don’t need you to fight my battles.” 

“But… but Link, I know that. ‘Course I do. You don’t need me, but- you want me to fight for you, dontcha? Isn’t that what you want?” Rhett looked puzzled, defeated. 

“Do you still see me as a man? A real man? Or am I just this pretty thing that does your laundry and lets you fuck it?”

Fear began to creep up in Rhett. He’d never seen the other man so angry, so out of control. “Link, you’re being unfair, I- we-”

“Simple question, Rhett.” Link’s voice was hard, cold, every trace of the cuddly persona he usually showed gone. “Am I a real man?! What am I to you?”

“I- you’re everything. Everything. You’re a man, you’re _my_ man, you’re… the reason I sing in the shower every morning, you’re always on my mind, my favourite person… you’re everything, Link.”  
It was strange for both of them to have the usually so strong and ever-present figure of R being so small as he crouched next to Link.

  
“Please, please don’t leave, please I’ll do anything, you can spend some time alone, you can make your own decisions. I’ll do the cleanin’ and cookin’, please don’t go.” L could feel tears wetting his skin where Rhett pressed Link’s fingers to his bearded face.

His heart ached at the feeling. He hadn’t wanted this, he’d just been angry all of a sudden. He was fed up with all these truckers treating him like a girl, but he knew that that wasn’t Rhett’s fault. Now that the anger was gone he felt sad to see his strong trucker like this.

  
“Oh babe, babe, I’m not leaving. I’m here, ‘m here, sweetheart.” Link pulled Rhett to his chest and stroked his back. “I’d never leave you, silly” he whispered.

Rhett sniffled and looked up at him. “Really?”

“Never.”

“I’m so sorry, Link, it’s just… I’m so used to fightin’ for myself, and you always let me care for ya, so I guess, sometimes I do forget ya can stand your own man.”

Link shook his head. “Shh, babe, it’s all right. As long as you remember you don’t have to be the man for the both of us. I’m here as well, and you can let me protect you once in a while, yeah?”

“Yeah. Okay. I love you.” Rhett rubbed his beard along Link’s chest as if to make sure that the other one was really there.

“I love you.”

It wasn’t until a couple of hours later, when they were lying in bed, that Link remembered the stranger’s words.

“What did he say?” he asked.

“Hm? What did who say?”

“That man, what did that word mean? Why did it make you so angry?”

“Well, he called you a ‘buffalo’. That’s CB slang for… a male prostitute.” Rhett lowered his voice to a whisper. “He called you a whore.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry I freaked, but- you’re the purest thing in the world.” Rhett said. “I know you’re not” he quickly added when Link tried to protest “but to me you are. And that fucking arse just comes and says that you’re a dirty slut, without knowing anything about you, just for fun.”

“That’s good.” L mumbled.

“What is?”

“I felt sorry for that guy, ‘cause I thought that you overreacted. But now I know that I would’ve broken his darn nose as well if I had known what he’d said.”

R chuckled. “You would’ve broken his nose? That’s kinda sexy, babe.”

“Well, you did break his nose, that _was_ sexy.” 

——

The day after their fight was tense. Link had told Rhett that he wasn’t mad anymore, but the trucker still felt slightly shook by their argument. The brief moment where he had thought L would leave him was on his mind all morning. He felt the need to talk to someone about it, but there was no one. It was always just him and Link and he hated that there was something he couldn’t tell his boyfriend.

Rhett had done some thinking, about Link and the terrible feeling of fear he’d felt when he’d thought about losing him, and he had come to a conclusion. Despite the usual prejudices against men of his sexual orientation, Rhett was a traditionalist, and he was convinced that if he wanted to keep this wonderful man, he had to take the next step.

“I’m gonna ask him to marry me” he announced to Chase with a hearty slap on his shoulder. Rhett had spotted the younger man’s truck at the other end of the rest area and on a whim decided to confide his plans to him. He knew that Link liked the guy, and it would be good to have someone to help him organise things. Rhett was aware that his idea of romance was vastly different from his boyfriend’s and he hoped that Chase could give him some advice on the topic.

“Well, hello, Rhett, nice to see you too. Maybe give me a warning the next time you sneak up on me and punch me” Chase grumbled and rubbed his shoulder. “Wait- who’s gonna marry who?”

Rhett leaned against the truck and smiled, suddenly feeling giddy at the thought of _marrying_. It had been on his mind for a while but he’d never had the guts to make actual plans. It just felt right now.

“I’m gonna make an honest man outta Link” he said and Chase’s face lit up. “That’s great, man! Why didn’t the two of you tell me when we met the other day?”

Rhett blushed slightly and shuffled his feet. “Er, I didn’t exactly ask him yet.”

“Oh.”

“I was… hoping that you could help me with the whole proposal thing? I mean, the idea just popped into my head, and I don’t even have a ring or anything…”

Chase grinned even wider and he nodded excitedly. “Yeah, ‘course! Let’s go!”

——

An hour later Rhett found himself in a fancy jewellery store, staring at cases full of glittering objects and feeling decidedly out of place in his faded shirt and worn cap. The woman behind the counter seemed to think the same, because she eyed the two truckers with suspicion. Nevertheless, she plastered on a smile and asked: “What can I do for you?”

Chase grabbed Rhett’s arm and dragged him with him. “Hello, my friend here is looking for an engagement ring.” He was definitely enjoying this.

The woman smiled again, more genuinely this time. “How nice. We have an excellent collection of rings for every taste, I am sure we are going to find something for your lucky lady” she said while she pulled a tray with delicate silver rings out from a drawer in the counter.

Rhett felt his face flushing. “Er… do you have rings for men, too?” Did engagement rings for men even exist? Was that a thing?

The store assistant lifted one of her eyebrows slightly. “I see.” She opened a second drawer and retrieved another tray from it. “These rings are for men. Are you looking for a more traditional look or something modern? Silver, gold, or maybe a model in tungsten? The latter is very popular with young men.”

  
Buying a ring turned out to be a lot more difficult than Rhett had imagined. He’d thought that there were two or three models to choose from and he’d just point at one and go. The woman sensed his uncertainty and asked what style his boyfriend had.

“Um… normal, I’d say?” Chase tutted and shook his head. “Oh, man.”

The assistant tried again. “What kind of clothes does he wear?”

 _Preferably none._ “Gosh, er, jeans? T-shirts? I don’t know.” Rhett started to feel a bit foolish.

“Sir, you must know what wardrobe your partner has. Surely you look at him from time to time.”

“Of course, he- he’s pretty, I guess. Yes, he wears pretty things. Looks good in ‘em.” Rhett thought about the tight shirt he had seen Link put on that morning and nodded to himself. “Real pretty.”

The woman sighed and rolled her eyes in a way that clearly said ‘ _men_ ’.

“Look, there are other customers. Why don’t you just take a closer look at this assortment here and see if there’s something that catches your eye?” She hurried away to a group of giggling girls.

Rhett stepped closer. The rings varied in material an shape. He picked up a simple golden band with a small diamond. “This is nice” Chase remarked. Rhett turned the jewellery and noticed the tiny price tag attached to it. “Oh shit” he groaned. “That’s more than I make in three months, bubba.”

“Maybe it doesn’t need to be a real stone? Aren’t there ones without gems?”

“You know Link, dontcha? He’ll want the real thing. He likes pretty stuff.” Rhett scratched his beard and wondered how he was supposed to pay for an entire wedding if he couldn’t even afford the engagement band. What was he doing?

“Hey.” Chase took the ring out of Rhett’s hand and placed it back on the counter. “Don’t you think that the meaning behind it is going to be more important to him than the ring? Bubba, this guy loves you. He’s gonna be over the moon when you ask him to spend the rest of your lives together. Don’t matter if you give him a bling or not, what he wants is you.”

“Man, Chase. You’re a real romantic, aren’t you?”

The young man shrugged. “What am I supposed to do with my time behind the wheel? They only have that kitschy stuff on Audible.”

Rhett grinned and turned back to the rings. Chase was right, this was about them, not about a stupid ring. He noticed that the jewellery was sorted into different price categories and he picked up one of the bands from the cheapest section. It was silver and on the top sat a glittering diamond.

It was a simple style, manly and yet pretty enough that Rhett knew Link would like it. The price was surprisingly low, not cheap, but affordable. When the assistant returned she explained that the gem stone was zirconia; not a real diamond but an artificial material that to anyone but a professional looked exactly like an original.

They took the ring with them and went back to Chase’s truck. Rhett wanted to get back to Link who probably wondered why it took them so long to get lunch in town. Chase however had other plans.  
“Hey, where ya going? Don’t you need some more things?”

Rhett frowned and held up the bag with the small box inside. 

Chase rolled his eyes and for the second time that day he grabbed the older man’s arm and pulled him towards a clothing store. “You’re hopeless, man. You seriously wanna propose in that grubby pair of jeans?”

“They’re not grubby” Rhett mumbled indignantly but allowed Chase to lead him to the men’s section of the store. “Link washes them with this detergent, it smells-”

“Yeah yeah, Link’s great, now try this on.” The young man shoved a soft white shirt into Rhett’s hands.   


  
Rhett huffed and grumbled but he bought the shirt and even got some pomade to slick his long hair back into something resembling an order.

Once they got back to the rest area where Rhett had parked his truck, he couldn’t wait to find L. He was so nervous that he was afraid he might chicken out if he didn’t do it in this minute.

Link had been reading on their bed when Rhett stumbled into the driver’s cabin, hollering Link’s name. “What is it, sweetie?” he asked, turning his attention back to his novel. 

“You gotta come with me!” Rhett insisted and practically jumped up and down in the tiny space, almost bumping his head. Link looked up. “Why are you lookin’ so fancy, babe?” he asked, still not making a move to stand up. Rhett grew impatient, picked him up bridal style and carried him out of the truck. 

“Rhett! What are you doing?”

“Don’t matter.” He carried Link over to the park where they’d been having dinner the day before and finally set him back on his own feet beneath a tree in full bloom. The air was warm and smelled of flowers, despite their close proximity to the parking lot.

“Rhett, was is this? Why are you dressed like this?”

Rhett took a deep, steadying breath and reached into the back pocket of his trousers. “I wanted to look good for this.”

“Look good for wh-”

Link lapsed into silence when Rhett got down on one knee and held a small velvet box up on his palm. His eyes grew big and he put a hand on his mouth. “Gosh, Rhett…”

“Babe. Babe, please don’t say anything until I’ve said what I wanna say, yeah? I- I know this comes suddenly and without warning, but after last night… I couldn’t bear to lose you. I told you yesterday and I tell you now, over the last year and especially over the last months you’ve become everything to me.   
I don’t ever wanna be alone again, ‘cause you’ve shown me how good it is to be loved, you’ve shown me how to let my guards down and let my feelings out…

“And you’d deserve something more romantic than this parking lot, something as special and pretty as you are. I can’t give you that. All that I can give you in this moment is myself… but you’ve got all of me.” Rhett chuckled when he noticed that he’d just quoted one of his favourite love songs and he saw Link smiling too.

“Now I’m nothing much” -he joked but quickly got serious again- “ but I promise that I will work hard, I will work day and night until we can afford our own house, everything to give you the home you deserve. I want you to have a good life, to not have to sleep in a bunk bed on seedy gas stations anymore, and I swear I will give you that.

“So please, please, will you do me the honour of becoming my beautiful husband?”

Link was full on crying now, his hands shaking. It seemed silky that Rhett would worry about this proposal taking place in a parking lot when Link himself had forgotten in which country they were the second he had seen the jewellery box and realised what it meant. He wanted nothing more than to be Rhett’s husband, to truly belong to him for everyone to see.

He nodded and extended his hand. “Yes, yes, oh gosh.” Rhett, who’d been waiting for his answer with bated breath, took the hand and slipped the ring on. It felt like a scene from a terribly corny movie, but maybe that wasn’t too bad.

They kissed and Rhett started to feel tears running down his cheeks now that the tension finally lifted from him. “Oh god” he whispered against the other man’s lips. “We’re gonna marry.”

Link pulled back and grinned through the tears on his face. “We’re gonna marry.”


	4. Chapter 4

Link’s mother was delighted at the news. The second the word “wedding” left his mouth, she started drafting a colour scheme in her head. Link was coming down with a cold, and because Rhett wanted him to have a steady bed when he was sick, it was decided that Rhett would do the tour to Denver on his own while Link spent some days with his mom to make first plans for the wedding.

  
Link didn’t want to go, and he sulked all the way to his mother’s house. “I don’t wanna leave my _fiancé_ alone on the road” he whined about every five miles through his blocked nose. “Why are you leaving me there, Rhett?”  
It was a proof of the trucker’s patience of a saint that he didn’t leave his brand-new fiancé behind at the nearest gas station.

Not that he wanted to leave Link. No, he dreaded every second of the next week, every second he wouldn’t be able to admire his beautiful future husband. But as the honest (and old-fashioned) man that he was, Rhett was aware that if he wanted to have a husband, it was his duty to take care of him, and subsequently he had to go on this tour.  
So he hugged Link close for about five minutes, breathing in his scent before letting go, and climbed onto the truck. “See ya soon, kitty.”

“Soon, big man.”

——

The call came two days later. Link rushed to his phone when he heard it ringing, expecting a call from his fiancé. His smile dropped when he saw that the number was anonymous.

“Hello?”

“Are you the partner of Rhett McLaughl? I am so sorry… There’s been an accident on the I-40, I’m afraid I have to tell you that—“

The phone dropped to the floor.

——

  
They had to pass the crash site to get to the hospital. There were three trucks, all of which were overturned, their load scattered all across the road.  
“Don’t look, sweetie” his mother told him from the driver’s seat, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away. Their home had been reduced to a pile of metal and plastic. Link hadn’t cried, hadn’t reacted yet, but when he saw something blue peek out from under the wreck and realised that it was Rhett’s favourite flannel, his stomach turned and he vomited into the footwell of his mother’s car.

“Oh, Link, breathe, breathe, yes? We’re on our way, we’ll get to him, he’s no longer in that truck, okay?” She rubbed his hunched back with her free hand, but Link barely felt it. No one could have survived in this hell of crushed metal. It was impossible.

The ride seemed endless, and at the same time Link dreaded arriving there because of what he might be told there. His mother had picked up the phone after she had heard him scream from the other room, and she had spoken to the woman on the other end for a minute while Link had still bawled, on and on. The woman, a police officer, could only tell her that there had been three persons involved in the accident, two of whom were only slightly injured while the third one was in a critical condition.   
They had been able to identify them all, but because they’d been taken away by the ambulance by then, the officer could not say whether Rhett was one of the slightly injured drivers or…

After hanging up L’s mum had taken her son by the hand and dragged him to the car, fastening his seatbelt while he was still whimpering. “He’s alive, I’m sure” she had whispered, but he hadn’t been listening.

Now as they got closer to the hospital, Link had only one thought: he should have been there. He’d wanted to go with Rhett, they had argued about it, and if Link had been more insistent, been there… He couldn’t have prevented it from happening, maybe, but if Rhett had really died there— L wished he’d been there to die with him. If Rhett was gone, Link would die soon anyway.

They reached the hospital and Link ran up to the front desk. “I’m here for…” His voice was shaking, and the tears that had refused to come over the last hour came with all the more force now. Asking this stranger to tell him if the person he loved was alive or not made it frighteningly real. So substantive.  
“I’m here for my boyf- my fiancé...” Another wave of sobs shook him when he thought of the wedding. Their whole fucking _future_ , all destroyed? “He’s been in a- in a crash and-“

The face of the nurse behind the desk was soft when she asked Link for his and Rhett’s names and told him to take a seat in the waiting area. She went to see where Rhett was, if he was still being treated at the moment.

_If he’s still alive._

Link didn’t want to sit, so he went to a quiet corner of the busy room and pressed his body into the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible. His fingers found the ring on his hand and he twisted it incessantly, putting so much pressure on the warm metal that the skin underneath became red and irritated.  
Where had he been when it had happened? Link tried to remember what he’d done in the morning, cooking, vacuum cleaning, watching TV… which of these trivial, stupid things had been occupying his mind when his Rhett had had this horrible accident? Why had Link not _felt_ anything? Weren’t lovers supposed to have some kind of bond to feel the other one’s pain?

“Sir?”

When he looked up, there was another nurse, an elderly woman. Absent-mindedly Link wondered where his mother had gone to, but it didn’t matter when he saw the nurse’s pitiful expression.

“Yes?” He scrambled to his feet, heart beating so fast that he felt dizzy. 

“I am deeply sorry, so sorry, but I have to tell you that there was nothing we could do…”

“No.” Link’s head was filled with hot white pain, not functioning properly anymore. “No no no, you’re lying! You’re wrong! He’s not- we’re gonna marry, look” -he stretched his hand out to her to show her the silver ring on his finger- “we’re gonna marry and he’s gonna buy a house and build a company… we’re gonna marry…”

Despite her years of being exposed to grief and pain, the old nurse’s eyes filled with tears as she took Link’s arm to stop him from struggling.

“It’s okay, shh, it’ll be fine.”

Link didn’t want her comforting touch, didn’t want her words.  
“No, you don’t understand! He can’t be! We’re gonna marry! We’re gonna…”

——

Rhett woke up to a man in a white shirt slapping his cheek softly. He didn’t exactly like being slapped by strangers, and his hand shot up to catch the man’s wrist.

“Aha, reflectory responses all in place, huh? Excellent, excellent” the man said in a cheerful voice. He clasped his hands and smiled brightly. “My name is Hanson, I am your treating physician. Could you do me a favour and tell me your name and what day it is?”

“Er… am I in hospital?” The last thing Rhett remembered was some asshole trying to cut in somewhere on the I-40, and loud honking from the cars around him.

“Yes, you had an accident. Now could you…” 

“Link? Where is Link?” There was a moment of panic before Rhett remembered that L was safe, at home with his mother. _I hope he’s not too worried when they tell him I had an accident._ Rhett knew how quickly his fiancé grew agitated.

“Rhet, your name, please!” The doctor repeated impatiently, his smile withering.

“You just said my name, doc.” Rhett was already fed up with this guy and his ultra-white teeth. He wanted to see L. Now that he was fully awake, he felt a stinging pain in his ribs and his neck, and he knew that he’d get very pissed if Link didn’t come to calm him down soon. Surely they had informed him, he was Rhett’s emergency contact after all.

Doctor Hanson blinked and nodded slowly. “Yes, I see… So, could you describe how your pain level is at the moment? Let’s take a scale from 1 to 10 and-“

“Look, mister, as much as I appreciate you stitching me up and carin’ so much, I’m sure I can take it from here. I’m a big man, just gimme some pills and I’ll be good. I’d really like to see my partner now, okay?” Rhett didn’t like these academic types. All talking big and acting like they were the Three Wise Men in one, when Rhett knew that there was nothing that couldn’t be cured with some bourbon and a kiss from Link.

“You’re one of those, huh? A ‘real man’.” The doctor gave an exasperated sigh. “If I get that girl of yours in here, will you let me run some checks?”

“Who ever said anything about a girl, doc? No thanks to that, but if you got my _man_ in here, I’d be real fuckin’ pleased.”

Doctor Hanson was about to answer to that when something behind the glass door of the room caught Rhett eye. That was… Link, but he was walking past Rhett’s room, heavily leaning on an elderly nurse. _Is he hurt?_

“Link! Link, hey!” L’s head whipped around at his yell, and Rhett saw the tears on his swollen face. Link stared at him, not reacting for several moments that seemed like hours.  
Because he couldn’t get up, Rhett just extended his left arm towards his fiancé. “Babe?”

The softly spoken pet name seemed to break something in Link, because he tore away from the nurse and nearly smashed the door in his hurry to get to Rhett. He lunged onto the bigger man and Rhett huffed when he became very aware of his injured ribs once more.

“Rhett, Rhett, oh god, you’re here, oh gosh…”

  
“‘Course I’m here, darlin’. Where else would I be if not in your arms, hm?” Rhett turned on his trucker charm to calm his fiancé down, but one look at Link’s tear stained face told him that it wasn’t working. He barely heard what Link was sobbing into his chest. “They- they said that you were dead- and-”   
_Fuck._ Rhett glared at his doctor, silently asking what idiot had messed Link up like this, but the man just shrugged.

“Shh babe, it’s fine, they got it wrong, okay? I’m here, I’m fine. Look at me, please.” He placed a hand under Link’s chin and tilted his head upwards so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I am here” he repeated sternly, and didn’t let go of the other man until he’d nodded.

“As heartwarming as this little scene is, I’d really like to run some checks on you and I have other patients, so maybe you could convince your “babe” to let go of you for a while?” doctor Hanson spoke up in an unsympathetic voice that had Rhett’s blood boiling. “Fuck off, man!” 

“Rhett! Be nice!” Link chided automatically, as he always did when Rhett insulted someone, but now his voice was soft. He sat up and noticed the bandages on Rhett’s upper body. Both Rhett and the doctor winced at the following shriek. “Oh god, hun, are you hurt?”

Despite the ache in his body, Rhett shook his head. “Just a scratch, kitty.”

The doctor rolled his eyes.

He ignored him. There was no way that he would upset Link any more right now. “Why don’t you go outside for a bit while the doc checks on me? I’m sure we can leave soon.”

“Don’t wanna leave you alone” Link mumbled, still kneeling on the hospital bed. Rhett had no idea how bad his injuries were, but he didn’t want the other one to see them while he was like this. He resorted to the one thing he knew for sure would get L out of the room. “Maybe you could get me something to drink, babe?” he asked with his best ‘I’m-such-a-helpless-big-man’ eyes. “I don’t know what drugs they gave me, but I’m really thirsty.”

Link still looked unhappy to leave his side. However as predicted by Rhett, his need to care for his fiancé was bigger and he nodded and left the room with a last kiss and a reminder to be nice to the doctor.

“Bit needy that one, huh?” Doctor Hanson remarked. 

“Would you please shut the hell up about my fiancé?”

——

It turned out that one of the head nurses had made a mistake; she had mixed up and told her colleague to give the relatives in waiting room A the bad news when it was really waiting room D she had meant.

Rhett found out and shouted at her until the poor woman was near crying; he wouldn’t have stopped if Link hadn’t turned up and yelled at him for yelling at the nurse.

The same night Rhett was discharged from the hospital with a doctor’s order to stay in bed for at least a week and to check his bandages regularly. An order wouldn’t have been necessary since Link spent at least twenty minutes grilling the exasperated Doctor Hanson about the best way to care for Rhett. 

He was still shaken about what had happened that morning, but as long as he stayed close to Rhett and held his hand every now and then he felt almost fine. 

His mother (who had found him when he was getting the water for Rhett and cried at the good news) took them back to her house. They passed the crash site again on the other side of the road, and Link used the moment to pull Rhett into a deep kiss, shielding his view on the destroyed vehicles. Rhett had loved his truck like a friend or a pet; it would’ve hurt him to see it like that.

Later, when they were lying in the comfortable guest bed- careful not to disturb Rhett’s bandages- they discussed their plans. 

“I can’t wait to marry” Link whispered into the other one’s neck. “I’ll never leave you alone again.”

“Mhm. Won’t let you.” Rhett replied. “Y’know, this accident was terrible and I feel really bad for the other guy, and of course I’m sad about the truck but… I think the insurance is gonna pay good money for it, since it wasn’t my fault. Enough to get a new truck and get you the wedding of a lifetime.”

Link frowned and pulled away a bit. “I don’t want the money. Who cares about a wedding reception, fuck, I thought you died, man!”

“I know, sorry, okay? I’m sorry you had to go through this, we can spend the money on something else if you want. Come here.” He patted the spot next to him and Link snuggled back into his arms. They were quiet for a while until Link spoke up, his voice very small.

“Can we have real doves?”

Rhett chuckled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Everything for you, babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry, I suppose? It’s probably not what you expected, but it’s what made sense in my mind. The next one is going to be all fluff and mush, I promise :)


End file.
